Gold Cup Facts & Figures

Cheltenham Festival 2015: Gold Cup Facts & Figures

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Gold Cup Facts & Figures

The Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup is the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain.

The total prize money for the 2015 running will be £550,000, with £313,225 to the winner. The first Cheltenham Gold Cup was a three- mile Flat race in 1819, won by Mr Bodenham’s Spectre. The chase as we now know it was introduced in 1924, with Red Splash successful. The winning prize money was £700.

Biggest Field

The joint biggest Gold Cup field ever was in 2006, when 22 runners went to post. Since the race was first run in 1924, there has only been one other renewal with more than 18 runners – in 1982 when Silver Buck defeated 21 rivals. The current maximum field allowed is 24.

Multiple Winners

In the Gold Cup’s history only seven horses have won more than once, the most recent of them is Kauto Star (pictured), who took the spoils in 2007 and 2009 and is the only horse to regain the Gold Cup.

The others were Best Mate (2002/03/04), L’Escargot (1970/71), Arkle (1964/65/66), Cottage Rake (1948/49/50), Golden Miller (1932/33/34/35/36) and Easter Hero (1929/30).

Golden Miller holds the record for the most Gold Cup victories, with five consecutive wins from 1932–36.

Most Successful Owner

Golden Miller’s owner, Dorothy Paget, is also the most successful owner in the race with an amazing seven victories, with Roman Hackle (1940) and Mont Tremblant (1952) adding to Golden Miller’s five wins.

Most Successful Trainer

The most successful trainer is Tom Dreaper, who won five Gold Cups with three separate horses, namely Prince Regent (1946), Arkle (1964, 1965 and 1966) and Fort Leney (1968).

Paul Nicholls is the most successful current handler with four wins from three separate horses – See More Business (1999), Kauto Star (2007 & 2009) and Denman (2008).

Most Successful Jockey

The most successful jockey is Pat Taaffe, who recorded four victories on – Arkle (1964, 1965 & 1966) and Fort Leney (1968).

The three most successful current jockeys are AP (Tony) McCoy, Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty, who all have enjoyed two wins. McCoy scored on Mr Mulligan (1997) and Synchronised (2012), while Walsh was on board Kauto Star (2007 & 2009) and Geraghty took the spoils with Kicking King (2005) and Bobs Worth (2013).

Ridden & Trained Winner

Five winning jockeys went on train the Gold Cup winner.

RodeTrained
Danny Morgan

Fred Winter

Morse Code (1938)

Saffron Tartan (1961), Mandarin (1962)

Roddy Owen (1959)

Midnight Court (1978)

Pat TaaffeArkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968)Captain Christy (1974)
Jonjo O’Neill

Jim Culloty

Alverton (1979), Dawn Run (1986)

Best Mate (2002, 2003, 2004)

Synchronised (2012)

Lord Windermere (2014)

Mares

A total of four mares have won the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup – Ballinode (1925), Kerstin (1958), Glencaraig Lady (1972) and Dawn Run (1986).

Longest & Shortest-Priced Winners, Fate Of The Favourites

The longest-priced winner of the Gold Cup is Norton’s Coin, who started at 100/1 in 1990, while the shortest-priced winner was Arkle, the 1/10 favourite in 1966.

In the 86 runnings, 29 favourites have won (just over 34 per cent).

Greys

The only grey Gold Cup winner was Desert Orchid in 1989.

Age

The breakdown of winners by age is as follows:

  • 5yo – 3 victories
  • 6yo – 5 victories
  • 7yo – 16 victories
  • 8yo – 20 victories
  • 9yo – 24 victories
  • 10yo – 11 victories
  • 11yo – 5 victories
  • 12yo – 2 victories

Overseas-Trained Winners

The winners of 23 Gold Cups have been trained overseas.

IRELAND (21): Ballinode (1925), Prince Regent (1946), Cottage Rake (1948, 1949, 1950), Knock Hard (1953), Roddy Owen (1959), Arkle (1964, 1965, 1966), Fort Leney (1968), L’Escargot (1970, 1971), Glencaraig Lady (1972), Captain Christy (1974), Ten Up (1975), Davy Lad (1977), Dawn Run (1986), Imperial Call (1996), Kicking King (2005), War Of Attrition (2006), Lord Windermere (2014).

FRANCE (1): The Fellow (1994).

Gold Cup/Champion Hurdle Double

Dawn Run is the only horse to have won both the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup. She was successful in 1984 and 1986 respectively.

Fastest Time

The fastest winning time is 6 minutes 29.7 seconds, set by Long Run in 2011.

Did You Know?

AP McCoy’s Stan James Champion Hurdle/Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup double in 1997 on Make A Stand and Mr Mulligan was the 11th time that the big-race double has been landed by one jockey in the same year.

The other jockeys to have achieved the feat were Dick Rees (1929), Tom Cullinan (1930), Ted Leader (1932), Bill Stott (1933), Gerry Wilson (1935), Aubrey Brabazon (1949 and 1950), Tim Molony (1953), Fred Winter (1961) and Norman Williamson (1995).

Alderbrook and Master Oats in 1995 enabled Norman Williamson and Kim Bailey to join a very select group of jockey and trainer partnerships who have won both the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup in the same year. The other partnerships were Tommy Cullinan and Jack Anthony in 1930, Ted Leader and Basil Briscoe in 1932, Bill Stott and Basil Briscoe in 1933, and Aubrey Brabazon and Vincent O’Brien in both 1949 and 1950.

Michael Dickinson saddled the first five horses home in the 11-runnner 1983 renewal – Bregawn (Graham Bradley – 100/30F), Captain John (David Goulding – 11/1), Wayward Lad (Jonjo O’Neill – 6/1), Silver Buck (Robert Earnshaw – 5/1) and Ashley House (Mr Dermot Browne – 12/1).

GUIDE TO THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL 2015 – CLICK HERE

 

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